1,720,952 research outputs found
Meaningful Circular Metabolism
No full textThe main products of this graduation are a new pattern language to map difficult/technical interventions in spatial tiles, a GIS model for assessing urban metabolism potentials and restrictions and a new approach for applying urban metabolism measurements on neighbourhood level. A personal motivation for me is the relation between the urban metabolism analysis and the impact it has on the urban design. Important questions are ‘where in the city should the urban designer or planner do something?’ and ‘how big does the intervention need to be?’ Often these questions are not addressed properly related to the theory of urban metabolism. The spatial component is often lacking and therefore the impact of urban metabolism on urban design is not well established. This graduation project focuses on bridging that gap. The testcase for this project is the city of Amsterdam.Amsterdam wants to be one of the frontier cities in the subject of circularity. This ambition is shown by the reports the city of Amsterdam has made. However it stays unclear how the analysis and the interventions relate to the context of Amsterdam. Where in the city would which measurements be implemented? And how that would change the city, how would it look? This leads to the research question: What is the spatial impact of the meaningful sustainable measurements, for key urban flows, which create a more circular city of Amsterdam? The studied flows in this graduation project are electricity, heat, drink water and phosphate. The project creates an inventory of twelve spatial intervention in creating circularity for the flows. The inventory contains the 1) spatial requirements and 2) theoretical potential. Based on the spatial requirements an allocation tool is created. This GIS based model for assessing urban metabolism potentials and restrictions is one of the outcomes of this graduation project. This model is not only an analytical step towards the urban design, but an outcome in itself. However the goal of the graduation project was to see what is the spatial impact of urban metabolism. For this a location was chosen based partially on the GIS model. For this location spatial exploration is made The exploration shows the possible potential of each measurement and their spatial impact. By comparing all the possible interventions we get a design brief for the location. Then a more in depth design experiment is made for an area in Slotervaart. This to see how the design can not only be a technical solution but also add to the urban quality. The design zoom-in contains 3 elements which can be replicated in the area of Slotervaart in similar areas. These elements are 1) a housing block with row housing, 2) housing block with high density housing, 3) neighbourhood nutrient hub. The design impressions show how the elements look, work together and add value to the site. Showing the relation between how much the interventions solve and their spatial impact. This shows the real spatial impact of the interventions related to the potential circularity. The used process is a new approach for applying urban metabolism measurements on neighbourhood level.Architecture and The Built EnvironmentUrbanis
City pig farm: A design-based-research on urban livestock farming
Full text linkOver the last centuries, the global food system has managed to provide a growing global population with more and better food. Yet, the system is criticised for its negative effects, like increasing food miles, monocultures, a lack of transparency and poor animal welfare. The recent trend to farm more food in an around cities (urban and peri-urban farming) seems to provide an alternative to the existing system. Urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) comes with many potential benefits, from reducing food miles and improving local urban climate to supporting social coherence in local neighbourhoods and improving personal health. At the same time, the field of UPA is very diverse and not each project addresses each of the potential benefits. This paper addresses urban livestock farming as a specific form of UPA. “Livestock farming” is hereby defined as raising domesticated animals, such as cattle, pork, poultry or fish for the production of food. Each of these types of farming has different needs and implications when included in the city. This study specifically looks into pig farming in an urban setting. It states that designbased-research is a useful research strategy to explore the possibilities and probabilities of this type of UPA. It draws on the design-based study ‘City Pig’, conducted at The Why Factory (2009), Delft University of Technology. The results of this study can be evaluated in order to get a grip on the possible benefits of this specific type of urban livestock farming. An important limitation is that it concerns virtual, un-built design proposals. As built, productive examples of UPA are still scarce in the Netherlands and beyond this designbased-research method could fill a gap and help gathering knowledge for future project. Therefore, this paper not only evaluates of a specific type of UPA, but also tests on whether research-by-design studies, can form a useful tool to further develop UPA in general. The aim of this paper is therefore twofold: What are the potential benefits of urban pig farming and how can un-built design projects help to answer that question for future ‘real’ projects.UrbanismArchitecture and The Built Environmen
City in a dynamic landscape: Expanding Den Helder in the sea
No full textArchitecture and The Built EnvironmentUrbanis
Landscape imagination: Ecology and Industry: Designing a transition for the Port of Rotterdam into a productive landscape Park
No full textThe thesis project is a design exploration of a transition for Port of Rotterdam from a nature-based perspective into a productive landscape park. Productive landscape park is a place of co-existence where ecology and industry work together, rather against each other in order to remediate existing ecological damages in the port, promote biodiversity and ecological protection and anticipate economical alternatives. The exploration turns into a development strategy in terms of images (‘strategies’) that adapt the landscape of port of Rotterdam trough various scales and time dimensions.Architecture and The Built EnvironmentUrbanis
Float to Circularity: Connecting human needs with the material flow in the AMA
No full textThe Metropolitan Region of Amsterdam (AMA) has proposed a transition from its current linear economic model to a circular one (Sustainable Amsterdam, 2015). However, the proposed strategy is based mainly on the participation of actors from the world of business and industry, relegating social actors to a peripheral level of its implementation. Additionally, the region is experiencing an important process of floating population in which we can identify different groups: students, expats, tourists and commuters. This process is influencing trends of gentrification, ethnic segregation, and suburbanization and is expected going to increase in the future. The project that we propose seeks to connect communities and material chains from an integrated approach, social and economical. The project is based on the incorporation of the students through the region as a pioneer group for sustainable, economic and social development. Students represent a social capital that is necessary for the development of the region. However, at the same time they are a group that currently is experiencing vulnerability and lack of integration. In this way, through a multi-scale study and an urban acupuncture strategy, the location of this group is projected into strategic areas in order to encourage social sustainability and inclusive economic development.Architecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences | Urbanis
I am de-n-city: Reallocation of space: transforming urban environment into a circular system
No full textThe Amsterdam Metropolitan area, and especially Amsterdam city, attracts large amounts of people due to the diverse economy opportunities, cultural and recreational activities, and the strong connection of the region by public transport and road network. The need for space, resources, and mobility are increasing and will keep increasing due to the growth of population and, thus, the rise of demand. This unbalanced distribution requires full use of spaces and resources. The main focus of the project is to identify what causes this unbalanced distribution by researching the different densities of the region, in order to make the region more stable and move it towards the circular economy. At the same time, the project focuses on the spatial conditions of the different neighbourhoods and tries to increase the livability levels in order for the general quality of life of the citizens will be improved. The main tool that we used during our research, but also later on the vision and strategy plan, is density. Firstly, we analyze the region by understating what the different densities that can be found in it are, and how they work. Afterwards, the focus shifts to the analysis of the different neighborhoods, trying to determinate and understand the different densities that can be found in the small scale. Finally, we try to find what opportunities and potential do these densities create for the different neighborhoods. By analyzing the different densities and typologies in the region, we highlight the importance of sharing spaces in terms of facilities, transportation, and waste management for the inhabitants, in order to help AMA move towards a more sustainable and balanced future direction.The innovations that we make depend on the existing situation, the density, and the character of the city. Taking into account these aspects and the regional analysis, we decide what needs to be densified in terms of facilities. These new density developments either make the existing identities of the city stronger, or, in the cases of lack of identity, we propose new ones to be adopted. This interpretations will release the pressure on Amsterdam city, balance the region, create more livable spaces, and move the AMA towards circularity.AR2U086 R&D Studio – Spatial Strategies for the Global MetropolisArchitecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences | Urbanis
From Energyscape To Energy Justice: Rethink Approaches For A Just Energy Transition: Revitalize the neglected regions through integrated planning: a case study in Changhua, Taiwan
No full textTaiwanese landscape has dramatically changed since 2018, when the Energy Transition White Paper was published. Due to the land limitation, the Taiwanese government has focused on the multifunctional use of land to create renewable energy and maintain the original activities on the ground at the same time, especially on agricultural lands. However, realistic situations are far from the ideal proposed. Tons of aquacultural and agricultural lands have become fragmented, damaging the landscape and even causing hidden threats: farmers’ work rights losses, food security issues, and ecosystem hazards. The reason for these derivative problems is complicated and cannot be blamed on a single factor. But the key argument in this thesis is because of the lack of integration of spatial and social perspectives in energy transition programs. Therefore, energy justice in this thesis focuses on the discussion of the derivative problems led by the consequence of neglected perspectives in the energy transition. From a spatial perspective, Taiwan currently has three separate spatial planning systems, urban, regional, and national park planning systems. Each of them follows different laws and manages the land use type in its own way. Due to the development-oriented planning, some land use types have more flexibility and looser regulation in terms of construction. And due to this fact, energy developers work with landowners to apply for changes in land use from aquaculture or agriculture to specific land uses to generate the most renewable energy, losing the purpose of multifunctional use and resulting in absurd landscape changes. More specifically, the lack of holistic spatial planning and the integration with the energy transition plan makes responsibility unclear that causing collaboration between sectors more difficult. The systemic deficiency has led to social consequences with the injustice mentioned above that have yet to have specific orders and measures to be addressed, exacerbating the public's untrust of the energy transition. In 2025, a new integrated planning system called National Spatial Planning will be implemented as a holistic spatial planning system. It merges current planning systems and includes the marine spatial area. Thus, this thesis chose Changhua County, an area with high renewable energy development but huge hidden threats in various domains, as the case study area to test how to integrate this new spatial planning system based on purposes of different zoning with energy strategies that include spatial and social aspects. There are three products in this thesis. First, the energyscape template design demonstrates how to prevent hidden threats and create procedural and distributional justice based on the considerations of societal factors that influence people’s acceptance of the energy transition. Second, regional strategies with spatial and social perspectives to examine value creation that rebalances regional development, bringing back identities to uncompetitive areas that are neglected or sacrificed within the energy transition process. Lastly, developing National energy transition advice, operational or strategic, to help create a justice energy transition in Taiwan.Architecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences | Complex Citie
Casablanca, Coexistence of Contrasts
No full textThe Slums phenomenon is a global and ethical challenge that hinders the well-being of cities. The vast majority of these areas are located in and around cities of the Global South because of the fast urbanisation and globalisation trends that have been met with insufficient employment, infrastructure and housing opportunities. This graduation project will explore new slum development alternatives through the lens of circular economy principles. The main focus is to elaborate holistic proposals and strategies that reject eviction and resettlement processes and aim for social, spatial and economic integration. Taking the case of Casablanca, Morocco, the project takes as a starting point the existing assets of les bidonvilles* which potentially, will lead to better approaches for tackling the challenge of slums at the local and metropolitan scales while developing contextualised circular economy guidelines.Architecture, Urbanism and Building Science
ObeCity
No full textDouble Degree: Faculty of Architecture, Urbanism and the Built Environment / Urbanism AND Faculty of Applied Sciences / Science ommunication. Obesity is appointed as a pressing 21st century public health threat by the World health organization. Current sedentary behaviour in Western society is key in fast spread of the obesity epidemic. Children are most vulnerable to obesity because overweight children have a 50% chance to become obese as an adult. Latest research pleads for the approach of obesity as a contagious disease. The obesity epidemic spreads to social ties by shared social norms on eating and activity behaviour. The urban environment had played a role in the stopping contagious diseases from spreading in the beginning of the 20th century. Now urban design should find a way to stop the spread of this social epidemic, obesity. In this research four methods were used. The first method is a literature study. Through studying literature the approach of obesity in the last 30 years, the new approaches in social epidemiology and the approach through urban design were studied. Additional semi-structured interviews with experts in both The Netherlands and New York gave more insight in the latest trends and future challenges for this approach of obesity. The literature study formed the base for the ObeCity model, containing essential urban design intervention that would reduce the obesity spread among children. Solutions in this model are general and not yet applicable to a specific design location. Through a context analysis in Beverwaard, the second method used in this research, a more in depth understanding of the local context was obtained. The ObeCity model was adjusted and prioritized based on this local context. In Beverwaard active transport is already well integrated in the urban structure. However means to prevent the social epidemic from spreading, like surprising elements in the streets, were lacking. Research suggested Participatory Action Research (PAR) as a sufficient method to strengthen health perception and encourage the use of public space. Through this method the participants are involved and gain control over their environment. Also the involvement of community members when designing public space increases the chance for the community to use this space for physical activity. So this method on the one hand served the community. On the other hand it served the research and gave more insight in the needs of the target group to become physically active in the urban environment. Through this data the ObeCity model was adjusted for the last time. The creative ideas of the target group during the PAR process were direct design inspiration. These designs were adjusted to the guidelines of the model and applied in the neighbourhood through drawings and models in the final design process. So the ObeCity model involves both trends in research, spatial context and social dynamics in the neighbourhood. The use of this model when designing public space is therefore likely to stimulate physical activity in the neighbourhood among children. The in the translation of the model to spatial design, interpretation of the designer and inspiration from the PAR process eventually create the design. In Beverwaard playgrounds for functional, dramatic and explorative play contribute to the reduction of obesity. Pedestrian lanes were transformed in thematic spaces for social bounding and bridging and testing social norms. Further research is needed to monitor the effects of this design and specify the applicable elements of the ObeCity model and PAR process in order to stimulate physical activity among children even better.Architecture and The Built EnvironmentUrbanis
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